Bonds of an Uchiha
by Macabre Beauty
Summary: The 4th shinobi war finally appears to be over with no trace of the enemy remaining. Though not everybody is out of the woods yet and with something appearing..."off" about Sasuke, is Team 7 really back to the way it used to be?
1. The end and the start

Over.

It was _over_.

All those trials and tribulations; change of hearts; the discoveries of strength had led to _this._ They...They had won. The five great shinobi nations had won the war.

The war was over!

The ten tailed beast had vanished – reduced to dust maybe? After the onslaught it faced, that seemed to be the most likely solution: nothing could have possibly survived after the damage unleashed by the chūnin who had once been referred to as the rookie nine.

But let's not forget about the two genins who had played particularly large parts in taking down the monster. Naruto and Sasuke – the boys who had considered each other many different things over the years. Grievances, friends, rivals, enemies. And now allies, it appeared.

So much about Sasuke had changed when he was on the path of darkness to the point where he was beyond the brink of insanity; beyond redemption. Even a certain knuckle-head ninja had realized that it was far too late to attempt to bring his best friend back to the place the blond called home, what with crimes so dreadful that none would be able to find it in their hearts to forgive the sinner. The only possible solution Naruto Uzumaki, the boy who'd dedicated his life to fulfilling his dream of attaining the title 'hokage', could come to was to take the avenger's life and lose his own in the process.

Yet here was that very same madman who'd cried out to the world that he would massacre everyone of them, just as his clan had been slaughtered. Here he was standing side by side by with his old team-mates, comrades in arms once more. Here he was, a changed man.

On the surface at least.

Many in the alliance were unsure of Sasuke's true motive. Something was clearly up but whether it would mean trouble was another question entirely. That could wait for now though – he'd helped enough.

"Guys, we've won!"

Chouji's voice boomed and resounded across the clearing allowing almost every shinobi to hear at least an echo of the fact. After a few moments of silence set aside for the realisation to sink in, the new Nara clan head gave out a few slow claps prompting others to join and before long, rounds of applause spread through the alliance like wildfire. Cheers and shouts drowned out everything else so if one were to attempt to converse properly, their words would fall upon deaf ears.

Ino ran up to her team-mates and pulled them into a group hug. Hinata and Shino watched as Kiba let out an exclamation of joy with Akamaru barking cheerfully. Team 7...Team 7 weren't quite sure what to do. Things were still a bit too tense for out right celebration as a team, even if Naruto attempted a similar act to Ino. The nervous look from Sakura directed at Sasuke and the latter's reluctance to allow the act of physical contact more than showed that the Uzumaki may have acted a bit too quickly, not that he cared. He was just happy to have his _friend_ back with them after so long.

Not every team was as fortunate as these, however. Team Guy would now forever be incomplete without Neji Hyūga. With the time allotted by the lack of an imminent threat, a green jumpsuit clad ninja began to search for his fallen comrade's corpse in the hopes to take it back to the Leaf Village and give the jōnin a proper burial. He searched high and low, not wanting to leave his friend behind but to no avail. There was no body. No _bodies_. Why couldn't he find any at all?

A hand on his shoulder. "Lee..." The sorrow in Tenten's eyes was raw, undisguised. "He would have been burnt up by the ten tails' attack. Naruto could only protect those still alive." There was no bringing Neji back and he would have wanted the jinchūriki to conserve his efforts to save those he still could rather than waste chakra on the sentiment of bringing back a body. Lee nodded in understanding, even if he wished that hadn't been the outcome.

Just because there were no bodies didn't mean that there was no trace of the battle remaining: blood had seeped into the ground below the remaining soldiers' feet, threatening to stain the earth for a good while. A reminder of how close the world had come to succumbing to an illusion that would make them lose sight of everything they worked for and achieved. All of their hopes and dreams. All of their loved ones.

How they so nearly lost all of that.

Nobody was actually sure that Madara was dead. Or incapacitated or whatever word should be deemed appropriate considering he was dead to begin with. There were some who were weary of this fact and some who were unsure what had happened but decided to assume that he'd been dealt with. So much smoke had plagued the land that some of the later acts of bravery were hard to catch unless the jutsus used were particularly flashy.

It didn't really matter what had happened to the Uchiha many supposed; his plans revolved around using the power of the ancient beast that had just been defeated and without it, there was little he could do. Sure he was a dangerous adversary capable of causing much more damage than had already been dealt but with what motive? If he were to turn the elemental nations into a living hell, that wouldn't achieve what he saught to accomplish. There was no reason to strike.

Speaking of Uchihas, a much younger one shoved his rival's arm off his shoulder, not appreciating the affection shown by the gesture. After an exchange of heated glares, Naruto walked forward to speak to Sai who was just up ahead. Even if Team 7 was back, he couldn't leave out the painter who had been Sasuke's replacement for the last year or so.

That just left Sakura and Sasuke together. The kunoichi was unsure of what to say or do: they had tried to kill each other. The war did not change this fact. Sakura had attempted to kill the man she held affections for in cold blood and he returned the favour. In reality they should still have held animosity but the fact that they'd just fought side by side whilst protecting one another made things complicated. There were a dozen things running through the girl's mind that she wanted oh so desperately to ask but the words wouldn't come out. Communicating had been easy whilst fighting; they had a common goal then. Nothing was forcing them to converse now.

Noise still surging throughout the alliance, Sakura decided that she should just be content with the way things were and that Sasuke's bonds with everybody including herself would work themselves out over time. She gazed around her, watching all of the happy faces as well as the ones filled with pain and loss. Katsuyu had already healed most people's wounds so there wasn't much work for the medic to do, giving her the opportunity to let out a sigh of relief and just let herself relax before approaching somebody.

Actually, it might have been a good idea to heal the orange-clad ninja. Naruto was still exhausted from lending his chakra out to their allies, a fact made clear by the weariness as he conversed with Sai. Sakura would attend to him once they'd finished. Instead, she turned around to see the comrades behind her.

They were making so much noise. So much the sannin's disciple could hardly hear herself _think_. She tried to see if she could make out at least one vocal exchange but the words all muddled together into an inaudible mess. Except... There was something Sakura could make out. Not words but a sound, a familiar ones. Birds. Hundreds, no – thousands of them. Hundreds and thousands of bird.

_One thousand birds._

* * *

A/N: So I have another fic I updated once in about 3/4 months.

MY FOLLOWERS ARE GOING TO LOVE ME.

Anyway, had this idea for a while and after the latest chapter (and a new chapter of a really awesome fanfic being released and inspiring me to write), I couldn't resist. First Naruto fanfic whoo~

Reviews would be much appreciated, including contructive critisism. Hope you guys enjoy this story! I wonder if anyone will guess what's about to happen.


	2. Pain

Everything had happened so quickly.

The action had nearly gone unnoticed.

And nobody had realized what was going on until it was too late.

Even though Sakura Haruno had been the one closest to the boy when he had been preparing his attack, she'd been too distracted to act immediately. Even once she heard the chirping which should have at least hinted towards Sasuke's plans, she'd been too dumbfounded by the at the time apparent randomness of the technique. With the fight over, what was the point of such a thing?

_Chidori, one thousand birds. _The piercing attack which was to ideally be employed as an assassination technique, even if it's users often gave it a less subtle purpose. The shinobi deploying the jutsu has to focus chakra in the palm of their hand, much like the rasengan but with a lot less focus on the shape. Influencing the chakra nature so that it was as if the caster was holding a lightning volt in their hand allows a deadly current to surge through the target's body when struck and due to the lack of shape meaning that the chakra splays everywhere, the enemy becomes a live circuit.

The brute force of the technique adds enough power to the ninja's hand letting them cut through their opponent as if they were holding a sword, causing the main brunt of the damage. Though unbeknownst to many, that isn't the sole effect. Wound acting as an entrance for the electricity, the current in the user's hand courses through the victim, allowing for more internal damage to take place. The perfect assassination technique. Too bad it was mostly wasted on regular combat where the potential damage could not be utilized effectively.

Usually, anyway.

Just as the medical shinobi span around on her heel, Sasuke lunged forward; target in sight. No hesitation. No doubt. But not no purpose in his eyes either. The Uchiha was a blank sheet – one would think with such power currently in his right had his intent would be painted all over that face of his yet nothing screamed out from his expression; nonchalance.

An array of emotions stormed within Sakura. Surprise. Confusion. Worry. Panic. Fear.

Heartbreak.

After the initial astonishment, it did not take long to realise who was in Sasuke line of sight and movement. Something dropped in Sakura's stomach leading to a sinking feeling beginning to grow exponentially. It appeared as if her comrade bore no ill-intent but despite this, the hair on her neck stood on end and the skin on her skull crept.

_'Move. You've got to move. Please, I'm begging you - move._

_**Move!'**_

The words refused to form and remained in the terrified girl's throat, her warning unheard. Legs trembled, threatening to give way any moment. She couldn't follow her on advice.

Not that it would help: Sasuke _specialised_ in speed. He needed to in order to be able to master such a powerful jutsu and with the head start he'd got before Sakura had worked out what he was going to do meant she'd have had no chance at catching up before the damage was dealt.

Just as the strike was about to take place, heads turned. Somebody who hadn't lost the will to speak cried out and caught everybody's attention though it was for nothing; they wouldn't make it in time either.

* * *

Over.

It was _over_.

Finally Naruto could let his guard down and unwind a while by chatting to his friends. In particular, he wanted to approach Sasuke once the latest hokage candidate got over his pride instead of shrugging the blond off. He wasn't sure quite what had happened but he was over-joyed to have his best friend back.

Friend. Sasuke could once more be referred to as that. Naruto still wasn't quite sure how that had happened but that didn't change the fact that they were allies once more and the bond could easily be repaired. There would be plenty of time to get the full details of the events that had transpired to cause Sasuke to turn over a new leaf so quickly and drastically.

Maybe over a bowl of ramen. Sure the raven-haired boy didn't have the same obsession for noodles as Naruto did (was there anybody else like that?) but it had been a regular haunt for Team 7 back when they were still one so there was a good chance Sasuke would agree just for old time's sake. Sure he hadn't outright expressed any desire to reconcile, yet he'd fought side by side with the jinchūriki; he'd have to truly be mad to think he'd get away with no form of bonding.

That could come later. Sai was standing not a long distance away looking on at the old team. It wouldn't exactly be fair to forget about him now, would it? His purpose was to serve as Sasuke's replacement but even if the original member was back, the artist was still a precious friend who'd also risked his life in trying to take down that monster.

Seeing that the Uchiha was in a mood, Naruto bounded up to Sai and began to converse with him about everything that had transpired. Well, Naruto did most of the talking though the other did contribute occasionally along with the odd comment that struck a nerve.

It felt strange that after everything that had just happened that some people were already returning back to their usual selves as if little had happened. Much did happen, however. Signs of tragedy and heartache may not have been put on show in a lot of cases but the damage was still done: the most painful scars were merely residing within the ninjas' hearts rather than on their bodies (though there were outward wounds as well). They could try and move on from what had happened but the war's impact would always remain, at least to some extent.

"Naruto, about the fourth hokage..." The root member's words stopped Naruto mid track in what he was garbling about at that moment. Of course – he'd almost forgotten in the celebrations! For the blond personally, the war hadn't solely brought disaster into his life; it also brought the potential for new joy. A laugh. "He's my dad!"

The words didn't flow well on the Uzumaki's tongue but he supposed that was to be expected – he'd spent so many years not knowing who the people who gave him life were. It wasn't even that long ago Naruto had learnt the identities of his mother and father and with all that had been going on there wasn't much time to let in sink in entirely. It had for the most part but thinking of his _family_ was still a bit odd.

Family. With the fourth brought back, Naruto could finally have a family! How much he had longed for one as a child. All of those lonely days at the park as he watched adults come to collect the other children. All but him. Those days had brought the jinchūriki such heartache and anguish but now? Now things could change. He was no longer lonely anyway but now he even had a living relative, a father. He couldn't wait to go up to Minato and get to know him, he-

"**NARUTO!"**

Pain. Such piercing pain. The Leaf's hero's sight started go blurry; darkening. Immediately before him he could only see a few sparks of blue as everything else started to fade away. He couldn't even feel as his legs began to shake, unable to support him any longer. The hurt in his chest was just too great. As the boy began to lose grasp of his surroundings, he only heard one thing after his screamed name.

Birds.

* * *

A/N:

I am a mean writer and proud. That's assuming of course, you lot have worked out what's just happened.

Considering how quickly the Naruto side of this site updates, I'm surprised anyone noticed this fic! Thanks for the follows, favs and reviews! Please send in some more reviews as I'd like to see what I'm doing well and what needs improvement.

~ Macabre Beauty

P.S. I finished writing this chapter today because I got an email about somebody favouriting it. Hintreviewhint ;)


	3. Darkness

No. That wasn't right. It couldn't be right. He'd changed, hadn't he? Sasuke was back to way he used to be, right? What she could sense; what she could hear from the people around her...

"Stop him!"

"Bastard Uchiha!"

"Good for nothing traitor!"

"_**We never should have trusted him!"**_

Karin could hear cries for blood emanating all around her. For Sasuke's blood. He'd helped in the war – such things weren't what should have been shouted out. Those shrieks the Uzumaki could hear should have been cheers celebrating her love's and his comrades' success in taking down Madara! She wanted to believe that this was all one big mistake; that the members of the alliance had no reason to want his head.

Unfortunately, Karin could not play ignorant - no matter how much she desired it. She of all people knew they needed to be worried and afraid. Very afraid.

_'Sasuke's chakra is so dark. What happened? Why do I feel like it's suffocating me?!' _It shouldn't be like that – the Uchiha's chakra signature had been so much brighter the last time they met. It was **nothing** like it had been at the kage summit. What his chakra exuded made Karin feel like he could not be the man who murdered the 6th hokage and swore to bring down innocents as well in his brother's name...Nor would he ever harm an ally. That Sasuke was somebody the red-head wished dead: he was a disgusting, vile fiend to which no adequate punishment could ever be dealt to allow him to atone for his sins.

But that was all in the past. Or was it? She could have sworn that the self-proclaimed avenger had somehow risen out of the darkness he had long been swallowed in. His chakra...It was almost as it had been back when he saved Karin in the Forest of Death. It hadn't even been like that when he first joined Orochimaru's side! That was the Sasuke she had fallen head over heels in love with.

Not this person.

This person...This person was somebody who wouldn't think twice about tossing aside those he deemed useless or a burden, much like he had done previously. Wouldn't think twice about killing somebody in cold blood. No, in fact he might even find _pleasure_ in it. The hints of sadism were hard to miss. What was impossible to ignore was that thirst for blood...A need to put an end to the life a certain somebody was leading. Not just a long term wish – he needed to do it right there, right then.

And it looked like he already had.

Weaker. It was growing more feeble by the moment. A bright, loving chakra that drew the sensor in. One that had seemed so strong and mighty before but was quickly fading away into nothingness. Karin's eyes widened in terror: she recognized that chakra. She remembered the joy and allusion of sunlight it brought. It was enough to warm the girl's heart after she'd been so critically injured.

Naruto. That was his name, wasn't it? Naruto Uzumaki. A boy who had piqued her curiosity in the short space of time they had been around each other, not only for the fact that they were descended from the same clan. She couldn't believe there could be such a person with a chakra like his.

Though even if it brought warmth, there was something lurking beneath. Something dark and dangerous that made Karin wish she wasn't such a great sensor. Almost like a second person residing within Naruto, exuding their own chakra.

It appeared to be dormant when the Uzumakis first encountered each other but now... Now it was starting to grow a bit more obvious. More dominant. For what purpose? The girl had little knowledge of the beast within Naruto and so had little chance to comprehend what was going on over there.

"My my, it seems the wind's blown in a very different direction to what I had expected." Karin's head snapped in the direction of her lord and teacher. She'd been so engaged in her thoughts she'd almost forgotten that Orochimaru (along with that idiot, though it was more convenient to block him out) was there.

Footsteps. "Orochimaru, I thought you said Sasuke wanted to protect the Leaf now." The snake didn't respond as Tsunade began to glower at him. "What's going on down there?" Well the kages had caught up quickly enough despite setting off after them, not that such a thing was surprising considering their levels.

Karin spoke instead, assuming she had a better idea of what was happening. "I think...I think Sasuke's just injured Naruto. Badly." That was probably an understatement but it would be enough to draw a picture in her companions' minds in regards to the events unfolding.

Rather than waiting for consultation from her equals, the 5th hokage charged forwards to where her favourite genin would be slowly bleeding out his life force.

* * *

"**NARUTO!"**

Sakura lunged forward, her mind focussed on only one matter: stopping Sasuke before it was too late.

Too slow.

Running. All she could do was run as she watched a hand possessing a live current stab into the distracted and weary blond's back. Useless, she was so damn useless! The medic had heard the sparks as the avenger began his attack and still she hadn't acted until he was too far ahead.

It was as if everything had momentarily began to move in slow motion; her steps seemed dawdled and spaced. Even Naruto's head turn to look at his assailant, as brief as it was, seemed deliberate and exaggerated due to the lack of hurry in the movement. Everything was so slow.

Then Sasuke pulled his hand out. With it, the world seemed to return to what could be considered normal despite the events that were unfurling. Unable to so much as counter-attack or put up a defence, Naruto's body crashed to the floor with a thud, the life draining out of him.

The Uchiha's stance was unmoving until Sai went to immobilize him, in which case he slashed a the artist with his sword in order to create distance before leaping away out of reach.

A chuckle. A minuscule chuckle escaped Sasuke's lips. Then, as if something had suddenly triggered him, the boy let out a psychotic laugh that could be heard for miles around in such a clearing. The sound of it was truly ghastly, insanity dripping out. Had there been any sanity in him to begin with?

Thirsty for Sasuke's blood, the alliance charged; there was no escape for him. Well, it at least appeared that was until the space behind the Uchiha seemed to become somewhat distorted. As he prepared to strike at his opponents, he felt a hand on his shoulder and turned.

"Who are you?" Twisted smile turned into a scowl at the stranger. Of course Sasuke had never seen the man's face, it having been hidden for the entirety of their acquaintance. Besides, this wasn't somebody he expected to see now and even if he did, the boy believed him to look much different based on the knowledge he held.

Obito Uchiha.

Hooked on his right arm was a head of silver-white hair though the man possessing it did not appear to have that many years on his life. "Kakashi-sensei!" First the blond, now her teacher. Was everyone precious to Sakura going to be harmed?

The scarred man tossed the limp Hatake over to where Naruto lay. "Pathetic. He isn't worth killing." Sasuke raised an eyebrow but did not object. _'Horrific. You really don't care about anyone, do you?!' _Sakura felt as if once more her heart was shattering into a billion shards. Just how much pain could her childhood crush cause her?

Obito turned to look at the shorter man. "My name doesn't matter, though you know me as Madara. We're leaving." Sakura wanted to stop them; demand Sasuke tell her why he betrayed them after appearing to have such conviction. As the two men disappeared in a vortex of colours, Sasuke's now emotionless void eyes were kept locked on Naruto. Before anyone could reach them, they were gone.

"I was wrong."

* * *

A/N:

First criticism received but I'm not complaining - I had asked for them and it wasn't flame so that's fine. The last two chapters ended on chidori and I thought declaring who the target is at the end of 2 was enough to get away with it. Apparently not and I'll bear in mind that sort of thing in future.

Anyway, at the start of this chapter I had no idea how I was going to end it and nearly deleted the first 800 words. Thankfully I had the brains to go to bed last night and by morning the ending had come into my head.

Specific question for the chapter: Does the start of it being in Karin's perspective work or does it seem a bit random and thrown in there? I know what role I want her to have but the fact that this is her first introduction into the story makes me unsure if I wrote about her at an appropriate point.

Question for the overall fic:

How's the pacing? Is it too slow/fast? Does the pacing seem to vary too much? The start of the chapter didn't have much going on and the events really kick off once we get back to Sakura's perspective. The end is supposed to be fast-paced but as I'm obviously biased, I can't know for certain if it feels rushed to you guys.

As usual, please review!

P.S. Check out the poll on my profile in regards to pairings!


	4. Emergency

"s...ra"

"S...ra, li...me."

Sound was certainly present but there was no way for Sakura to make out what precisely was being said considering the state she was in.

Her hope was all gone.

After four years it appeared that the 17-year old's greatest wish had been realized; the reunion of her precious genin squad. In those long four years, she had trained relentlessly to be able to support Naruto when it came to bringing back their lost friend and so that once together again, she would no longer be a burden. They would be fighting side by side, with her no longer merely watching their backs as they protected her.

Things sure played out as planned, _didn't they_?

Footsteps pounded the ground as people made their way past what appeared to be just a still statue of a girl who only an hour ago was performing wonders. Clearly she was shaken now, confidence diminished.

"I was wrong."

A voice that was only ever so slightly familiar managed to somewhat break Sakura out of her stupor, causing the young medic to steadily turn her head towards the source of the sound.

Red. A girl with bright red hair was a mere few feet behind her, seeming to be focusing on something that Sakura couldn't quite gauge what it was. "I must be; definitely." Before the medic had the chance to ask what on earth the other girl was talking about, she finally heard her mentor call for her.

"Sakura, what are you doing just standing around?!" Jolted back into action, the girl ran over to assist her mentor in attempting to save Naruto's life.

* * *

Sasuke attempted to waltz right past Mad- no, _Obito_ so that he could rest and heal on his own but promptly collapsed onto the ground, clearly having received too many injuries and having spent too much chakra in the battle. As he tried (and failed) to clamber his way back up, the Uchiha noticed that he was only a few metres away from feet that did not belong to the man who had brought him there. Legs crossed before him was a man who appeared to be sitting in a throne like seat, apparently seeing Sasuke almost like a worm of all things judging by the expression he bore. That wasn't what was bothering the traitor at that moment. Rather it was that his eyes contained...

"The sharingan."

* * *

Rushing down the hospital corridors, Sakura, along with the other medics, used their combined efforts to keep Naruto stable until they reached the operating theatre. Thankfully the 4th hokage, despite not being the creator of the technique, was skilled enough to transport Naruto, Kakashi and enough medics to treat them in one go with the Flying Thunder God Technique. It was fortunate that the marks required for the transportation to function never faded.

Obviously his student and son respectively weren't the only ones that needed medical attention but having already lost more than anybody should ever have to go through, Minato prioritized. It wasn't as if he was using the easiest technique in the world. Besides, the jutsu's originator was back at the battlefield should the need for more shinobi to be admitted straight to the hospital arise.

"Stay with me, Naruto!" Sweat dropped down Sakura's brow as she manipulated chakra in the hopes of keeping her team-mate alive. If only she hadn't used up so much chakra, it might have been easier – this was the worst time for such a thing to happen. Occasionally, the blond's eyes flickered open but would quickly shut again, his consciousness drifting in and out.

As they reached the doors to the operating theatre, Tsunade grabbed Sakura's wrist and allowed the other medics to enter without her protégé . Minato however, did not need physical restraint in order to stop running, knowing that he had know place in such a room.

"L-Let me go, I should be in there helping Naruto!" In that moment the kunoichi couldn't care less for trivial things such as formalities and politeness – not when one of her closest friends was _dying_.

The female hokage let out a sigh, not wanting to have to deal with Sakura right then. "You're emotionally compromised. You can close your mouth: nothing you say is going to change my mind about letting you in there. Right now you're shell-shocked and the last thing you need right now is the responsibility of operating on a team mate. I promise we'll do what we can; he's in good hands with me." With that, Tsunade rushed into the theatre and left the girl standing with her friend's father.

"-Sakura. That was your name, wasn't it?" She turned at the weak sounding voice blurting out her name. "The 5th...How good a medic is she?"

"If she can't save Naruto, nobody can."

* * *

"Lose that hostility, boy. I'm not your enemy."

That was hardly going to get Sasuke to stop glaring at the man whom he was forced to kneel down to due to his body's state. First Obito, now this guy. Just how many other clansmen did he not know about? Unless the man before him had pulled something similar to Da- no, he didn't even want to think about that. The Root leader's repulsive actions were enough to make Sasuke want to gag.

"Talk. Now."

"Tch. Hold your tongue, _boy_." He emphasised the word this time, wanting to make the gap between them clear. "You're speaking to one of your clan's former leaders."

It didn't take much for Sasuke to form a guess at the man's identity, especially considering how much his name had been circulating across the world lately. "Madara."

* * *

Friend and Father sat in the hospital waiting room in the hopes that news of Naruto would reach them soon. Of course they were worried for Kakashi too, more so for Minato who still mostly had an image in his mind of the copy ninja as a teenager, but they both knew he was nowhere near in as poor a condition as the jinchūriki.

Minato's left hand curled into a fist as he struck the seat next to him out of frustration. "Damn it!" He forced himself to keep his eyes shut, tears threatening to form. "My greatest regret was that I couldn't be with my son and now? It looked like I at least had the chance to be with him on his birthday but instead I've lost him too. I am so sorry Kushin-"

"He'll pull through." It was the first time Sakura had spoken since leaving Tsunade and the others to deal with Naruto. "He always does. He'll pull through." Though this appeared to be in response to the hokage's breakdown, it sounded more like the girl was talking to herself. Perhaps she was: perhaps reassuring herself that this was just like all the other times her idiot team-mate managed to land himself in hospital was the only way she could cope right then. Even if that was what was happening, Minato still nodded, appreciating her response.

"I truly hope so."

* * *

Blurred colours. Muffled sounds. A strange sensation washed over the boy's body. He felt warm; very warm. To say he was also a little bit dizzy and disorientated would be a grand understatement indeed.

Flickering, the lights that kept disappearing and reforming weren't understandable at all, and though he felt like he was being moved, he had no idea to where.

Where was he?

What time was it?

Most importantly, what the hell had happened?

As the young man tried to gather his thoughts, an image of the raven-haired boy filled his mind before he drifted into a deep, foreboding sleep that he couldn't break out of; didn't have the energy to break out of. A sleep that could last for as long as time itself. Blackness seeped in from everywhere.

Utter blackness.

* * *

A/N: Sorry for the long update period! Exams, being abroad without my memory stick and school restarting kinda made it difficult to write. Anyway, here I am!

Since canon went drastically differently to what I'd written, this story can be considered AU though I will attempt to incorporate canon where possible. I've already got some ideas flowing on how to make it work.

I find it quite interesting when the writing goes a different direction to what is orignalyl intended: for example, the scenes with the Uchihas were meant to be one, big one and include more. Of course what I skipped will probably be in the next chapter. That's not the only difference I'm on about, however - Madara wasn't supposed to be in it and Sakura was meant to be operating on Naruto. It was only when writing the appropriate scenes that I changed my mind, these adjustments feeling more right. That's why when planning stuff, I only write down the major points in the story that **have** to happen and I rarely plan out single chapters.

Anyway, please check out the poll on my profile in regards to whether there shall be any couples forming in this fanfic. Also, I have an idea for another Naruto fanfiction but as I plan for this one to be fairly long overall, waiting until it's done might mean I lose the idea for the new one.

Opinions on whether I should write these simultaniously? Feel free to message me for information about it. They are fairly different in premise and the first few chapters of the new one would probably lead you into the trap of thinking it's strictly a standard high school AU...

Spoiler: it's not. I mean that for both the words "standard" and "high school AU".

Anyway, please review when you've got the time - or even if you don't!

~ Macabre Beauty


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